Sunday, May 31, 2009

On Tuesday, the much anticipated arrival of Antonio Bastardo will finally happen. With Brett Myers out for the foreseeable future, the Phils need someone to take his spot in the rotation, and that spot is being bequeathed to our favorite Bastardo. His name alone is going to sell jerseys. This ranks up there with Rusty Kuntz, Pete LaCock, and Billy McCool. '09 #'s: 3-2, 1.89 ERA, 2 sv, 47.2 ip, 51 k, .194 average against._______________________________________________________

Ace?What the hell is up with Cole Hamels? A 5.21 ERA and .301 average against from our staff ace is unacceptable at this point in the season. With the rotation in fluctuation, we need him to step up and pitch like he's capable of.

250?Maybe the 6th time is a charm for Grand Pappy Moyer as he scales the mound today in the series finale against the Nationals in search of his seemingly illusive 250th career win.

Grand Slam!Ryan Howard's grand slam yesterday, 3rd of the season and 8th of his career, moved him into sole possession of 1st place all-time in the category in Phillies history. Man he passed- the immortal Michael Jack Schmidt.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Happy Returns:It appears we here at WSBGM's were right all along and JA Happ should have been in the starting rotation from the get-go. Thankfully the Phils brass realized the errors of their ways and rendered their mistake. Happ went 5.1 solid innings, and would have had a better line if not for Chad Durbin's inability to strand runners.

Humble Hamels:Cole was unsatisfied with his 2 run 6 inning effort against the Yankees this past weekend, and vows to do better. That's a likely scenario against the Nationals, as he has a 0.39 ERA in his last 7 starts facing the club. He'll be opposed by surprising rookie Shairon Martis (5-0, 4.86 ERA).

Hot Prospects:To land a pitcher like Jake Peavy or Erik Bedard, the Phils will have to send highly touted prospects to the Padres or Mariners. My favorite prospect, Reading outfielder Michael Taylor, is currently batting .342/1.006 with 27 r, 9 hr, 37 rbi, and 8 sb. I envision him taking over for Werth in 2011, but not if dealt. Another name sure to draw interest is Kyle Drabek, who just pitched a shutout last night and is now 4-1 on the season with a 2.48 ERA over 61.2 ip with 74 k.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Already with the worst starting rotation ERA in all of baseball, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. was searching for help. It has been reported he has been knocking on every door of every potential trade candidate (Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Jason Marquis, Chris Young, Roy Oswalt, Zach Duke, and Jon Garland). Now with Brett Myers likely out for the season, and hopefully done as a Phillie (my personal opinion), Amaro must step up his efforts of landing a starting pitcher sooner rather than later. The Phils are in 2nd place, only slightly behind the NL East leading Mets, who have problems of their own. Now is not the time to be cheap, suck it up and add more to the team record payroll. Internal short-term candidates include Andrew Carpenter, Kyle Kendrick, Carlos Carrasco, Antonio Bastardo, Chan Ho Park, and Rodrigo Lopez.

Fill-Ins:Carpenter- still young at 24, but seems to not have what it takes to consistently retire big league hitters. Maybe I’m selling him short, but he does not inspire confidence. He’s had mixed success in the minors- 28-18 record, 3.72 ERA, and 1.30 WHIP.

Kendrick- helped the Phils into the playoffs in ’07 and started last season off well, but then became entirely too hittable and a bit mental too. He’s having an up and down experience at Triple A Lehigh Valley right now as he’s working on his secondary pitches. ’09 #’s- 4-3 record, 4.35 ERA, and 1.47 WHIP.

Carrasco- the prize possession of the Phils farm system for the past few years has fallen apart recently with the Iron Pigs. Currently 0-6 with an ugly 5.81 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.

Bastardo- a name that is gaining buzz as a prospect as he continues to pitch well at every level. He’d be my interim solution to fill the rotation void. Minor league career #’s- 17-9 record, 2.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 257.2 ip, and 296 k.

Ho Park- should not even be an option, end of story.

Lopez- the MLB veteran hasn’t pitched in the bigs since ’07 and is currently getting hit around worse than KK at Lehigh Valley.

Trade Candidates:Peavy- wants to stay in the NL and on the West Coast, and has the power to make that a reality. Last time I checked the Phils are on the right side of the Unite States. Still, Peavy would certainly fill Myers shoes and then some, but would take a large package of prospects to land.

Webb- the D’backs suck, but I find it hard to believe they’d be willing to move Webb, who is still injured by the way.

Halladay- is my favorite pitcher in baseball, he’s a workhorse and a true gunslinger on the mound. The Blue Jays are actually competitive this year, and it’s doubtful they’re going to dump him regardless of the booty in return.

Davis- could probably be had on the cheap, and would help our dilapidated rotation, but he’s certainly more of the Blanton acquisition ilk than the Sabathia.

Bedard- always a health risk, but always gives his team a chance to win when he’s on the mound. Seattle is in need of everything, so I could actually see this trade coming to fruition. Of course that would be 4 lefties in the rotation (Bedard, Hamels, Happ, and Moyer).

Lee- last year’s AL Cy Young is back to pitching well again for Cleveland after a rough start. The Indians would want a bundle for him and if I were GM, I wouldn’t be willing to give them what likely will be their demands for a half season fix.

Harang- the Reds are still in contention in the NL Central, so this seems to be a moot point (or as Joey from Friends would say, “A moo point, you know a cow’s opinion.”)

Penny- the BoSox have tons of starting pitching and with Smoltz almost ready to comeback and Clay Buchholz pitching well in the minors, Penny seems to be the odd man out. He isn’t the Brad Penny of old and has suffered through a rough season thus far (5.96 ERA), but I’d like him more than almost any of our internal options.

Marquis- a groundball pitcher that could easily be had from Colorado as a salary dump. If given the choice between him and Penny, I’d choose Marquis (4.45 ERA). Not to mention, he swings a decent stick and would be our 2nd best pinch-hitting option behind Stairs.

Young- at 6’10” he’d be the Phils tallest pitcher ever, and when healthy he does give you quality starts. It’s the “when healthy” part that is worrisome. Career 3.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.

Oswalt- I'd steer clear of him because of the pricetag to acquire him and the fact that I think he's beginning a steady downward trend (ERA's: '07-3.18, '08-3.54, '09-4.62).

Duke- is having a tremendous rebound season with Pittsburgh, and the Buccos would be foolish to trade away yet another good player and get marginal ones in return.

Garland- always a reliable 4th/5th starter type, much like what we have in Blanton, but I can't see his high whip (1.55) translating well at the CIT.

Ain’t Nothing But a GM Thing:I suggest heavily targeting Peavy, Davis, Bedard, Marquis, and Penny. Phils quite possibly may need two from that list to make it back to the playoffs this season.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Since 2000 the Phillies have produced only 20 MLB players in their 9 years of drafting amateurs. With roughly 440 players drafted in that span, that means only 4% of them made it to the majors. It is a bit unfair to judge the 2007/2008 draft classes, and even 2006 to an extent, but that’s an awful amount of MLB talent any which way you look at it. No wonder the Phils had difficulty making impact trades in years past with a lackluster farm system like that.

Utley, Howard, Hamels, Bourn, and Floyd are the only established players. Outman and Happ have experienced brief stints of success, but are still cementing their status as major leaguers. Kendrick is working in the minors on his secondary pitches with hopes of returning to the majors. He’s joined there by Mathieson who is attempting to regain his pre-injury form. Buchholz is recovering from arm surgery with Colorado. Segovia, Bisensius, and Roberson’s fleeting dreams of getting back to the bigs are becoming more distant by the day. Chapman is now out of baseball. Carpenter, Golson, and Korecky might just be Quad A players and nothing more. Marson is a legit catching prospect and Jaramillo is splitting time behind the plate in Pittsburgh.News & Notes:*Brett Myers has a bum hip, and that's bad.

*Jayson Stark did a nice article on Manuel's decision to stick with Moyer. Included in the piece are reports of Ruben Amaro Jr. sniffing out every possible starting pitcher that may hit the trade market.

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Redemption:*Joe Blanton with 7 shutout innings, 11 k's, and the win after entering the game with a 7.11 ERA.*Shane Victorino going 4-5 at the plate after being foolishly caught stealing in the 9th of yesterday's loss.*Pedro Feliz upping his batting average to .308, rubbing it my face for thinking he was washed-up as a hitter (another errant preseason prediction).*Brad Lidge picks up his 9th save on the season by striking out last night's douchebag hero Wes Helms.*Phillies win 5-3, remain in 1st in the NL East with a record of 25-19.Strength:Ryan Howard has strength according to MLB's new commercial in their "Beyond Baseball" series. Apparently Ryan learned to launch longballs from his mother or something like that.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Costly Mistakes:*Wes Helms appeared to be struck out looking on a 2-2 pitch, but the umpire missed the call. 3-2 offering sent into orbit for a 3-run homerun.

*3-0 pitch to Ronny Paulino over the heart of the plate with runners on 1st & 2nd with 2 outs and the light hitting pitcher Chris Volstad on deck (lifetime 4-46, .087 avg). Paulino laced pitch into the outfield for a rbi single.

*Jimmy Rollins got greedy and attempted to take 2nd base on an errant throw to 1st and was gunned down by Ronny Paulino. Later that inning Ryan Howard went deep.

*Shane Victorino was caught stealing in the 9th after being walked by Matt Lindstrom with Matt Stairs at the plate.

The Phillies suck at home (8-13), but are road warriors (16-6). They remain a 1/2 game up on the Mets, who are playing the Nationals. Need a strong outing from Blanton tonight and the offense to spark some support for him against Andrew Miller. Looks like Mother Nature might win tonight's battle though.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Brad Lidge is currently the worst closer in Major League Baseball. Yesterday I pointed out that he wouldn't be the closer if not for his increasingly suspect contract extension of 3 yrs $37.5M. Today I'll tell you why we should all be worried. This isn't the "Mr. Perfect" 48 saves in 48 opportunities Brad Lidge of 2008. This is the return of the outcast from Houston Brad Lidge of 2006/2007. That's the Brad Lidge that was demoted/promoted/demoted/etc. from the closer's role. He gave up 19 homeruns in those two seasons combined, and has surrendered 6 this season. However, even in 06/07, he was able to control his pitches and not give up tons of base hits, but that's far from the case here in 2009. Lidge has walked 12 batters in only 19.2 innings, while putting the ball on the tee for 29 hits.

The Phils literally can't afford to demote him. They're already paying Thome, Eaton, and Jenkins not to play for them, and are strapped with a foolish Moyer contract, so demoting a $12M per year closer to setup man with the chance of him turning into a basketcase is unwise. Guess they'll just have to keep running him out there and hope he figures it out. Until then, expect low win totals from our starting pitchers due to his blowing of saves.

MLB Closers Ranks:4 Blown Saves- last9.15 ERA- last2.08 WHIP- last

How the hell are the Phillies actually in 1st place in the NL East with Lidge at closer and pitchers like Blanton, Moyer, and just demoted Ho Park making starts?

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Take a look around Major League Baseball and you will not find another closer as bad as Brad Lidge. Why? If they were as bad as Brad Lidge they still wouldn't be the closer. However, the Phils are saddled with a 3 year $37.5M contract so there's no way in Hell that they'll demote him. This means we'll continue to see Charlie Manuel send him to the mound in the 9th of every close game, which in turn means we'll continue to see many blown saves. This is unacceptable in my eyes, so cue Metallica...

Showdown:Cole Hamels vs. CC Sabathia at 1:05 in the series deciding game. With 11 homeruns launched so far, the teams need 6 today to match the total I predicted for the 3 game set. Here's to hoping CC guides some fastballs right into some of the Phils wheelhouses.

Trades:Ken Rosenthal reports the Phillies are looking for a starting pitcher or two, with the names of Jake Peavy, Jarrod Washburn, Roy Oswalt, and Erik Bedard being floated around. I see every one of them taking 2-3 top notch prospect to land, except for Washburn. Not sure exactly where they would start, because it appears Happ might just be the Phils 3rd best starter right now behind Hamels and Myers. Doubtful they bump Blanton from the rotation. Maybe they can convince Moyer to retire. Who knows?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Longball Barrage:4 homeruns for the Phils + 3 homeruns for the Yanks = 7 total. In yesterday's comment section I predicted 17 total homeruns for this 3 game series, but it appears I may have gone a little low. Hopefully Happ and Hamels can keep the ball in the park for the next two games, while the Phils hitters continue to drop bombs.

DH!Yesterday I had "DH?" and today that question has been answered. Following last night's win, Sergio Escalona was optioned to the minors with big John Mayberry getting the call-up. With lefties Pettitte and Sabathia going Saturday and Sunday for the Yankees, it's believed Mayberry makes his debut at DH the next two games. How awesome would it be to hear Joe Buck choke on his words as he is forced to call a Mayberry homerun off the FOX darlings' Yankees in his 1st at bat?

Myers Roller Coaster Express:I now openly admit I'm not a fan of Brett Myers, but while he's on the team I'll continue to root for him. Last night he pitched arguably the best start of a Phillies pitcher all season, going 8 innings allowing 3 runs with no walks. All the runs were on solo shots, upping his MLB leading total to 15 homeruns allowed. Currently he's right in line with his career norms with a 4.34 ERA (career 4.37) and 1.34 WHIP (career 1.36), so he's doing exactly what's expected of him.______________________________________________________Minors:*Scott Nestor was dropped from the 40-man roster.*Clearwater Threshers outfielder Dominic Brown is batting .326/.983 with 27 r, 6 hr, 30 rbi, and 10 sb.*His teammate, 2006 1st round pick Kyle Drabek, continues to mow batters down with 58 k's in 46.2 ip (2.51 ERA/1.18 WHIP).*Reading Phillies outfielder Michael Taylor is batting .308/.933 with 20 r, 6 hr, 27 rbi, and 8 sb.*His teammate, 2008 draft pick Vance Worley, had Ruben Amaro Jr. scouting his last start as he quickly becomes the buzz name in the organization. #'s- 3-2, 3.22 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 50.1 ip, 40 k, and only 9 bb.*The "Free JC" movement is almost complete with 10 games to go. Romero is readying for his liberation and has pitched in 3 minor league games now.*Lakewood BlueClaws outfielder Anthony Gose has ridiculous speed; swiping 26 bags in 38 games. If he could learn to coax more walks and become a slap hitter then future leadoff man he may be (only a .253 avg and .296 on base %).*Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs catcher Lou Marson has been struggling since his demotion, now batting only .196/.572.*His teammate, prized prospect Carlos Carrasco, has completely fallen apart and is now 0-5 on the season with a 6.31 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.*Miguel Cairo is at Lehigh Valley.

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Philadelphia Phillies offense leads the National League with 56 homeruns. The New York Yankees offense leads the American League with 66 homeruns. The Phils have surrendered the second most homeruns in the majors (62) with the Yanks ranked third worst (58). Despite Philly and NY’s best pitchers toeing the slab this weekend, I think it’s safe to expect some Bronx bombs.

DH?With the righty Burnett going tonight, Stairs or Dobbs get the nod as DH. However, the following two games have a lefty on the mound leaving Bruntlett or Coste as the DH alternatives, which is disheartening to say the least. What to do? Answer- call up Mayberry and begin teaching him the ropes as a 4th outfielder, because that’s really all he’ll ever be with the Phils (Ibanez/Vic/Werth are one of the best outfield trios in the majors).

Notes:*Yankees are winners of 9 straight.

*Phillies have best road record in MLB (14-5).

*Jimmy Rollins notched his 300th stolen base and 1500th hit in yesterday’s game against Cincy.

*Phils were 4-11 in Interleague play last year and are 90-109 lifetime. Interleague play is stupid!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

With 4 more homeruns today the Phillies are tops in the NL with 56. Raul Ibanez leads the way with 15; while Chase Utley (11) and Ryan Howard (10) form the only NL trio with double digit homerun totals. Raul Ibanez has already matched my predicted homerun total for him and is 3 away from Corey's estimation (yes, even we make mistakes). In fact, Ibanez is tied for the MLB lead in homeruns with San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez and is on pace for 62.Rest of the Game:*J-Roll had a bit of an offensive awakening at the plate today, collecting 4 hits in 6 at bats.

*Blanton had one horrible inning, but ended up with the win despite allowing 5 in 5.

*The Reds used 6 pitchers and the Phils scored at least 1 run off of 5 of them.

*Ho Parkinglot pitched a scoreless inning of relief, which is where he should have been from the start.

*Escalona remains unscored upon as a big leaguer. His time may be up on the roster though, because he's the 13th pitcher and the Phils need an extra righthanded bat heading into interleague play with the DH available.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Rich Dubee, Ruben Amaro Jr., Charlie Manuel, Inspector Gadget, Crime Dog McGruff, Sherlock Holmes, the team of CSI: Miami, and Jamie Moyer himself have been trying to solve the crime of Jamie Moyer’s disastrous 2009 season. They’ve went through all the video evidence, taken statements from witnesses, and have even opened up some cold cases from years past, but the answer still eludes them. Why is Jamie Moyer the worst starting pitcher in baseball this season? Well, not only do I dabble in GM duties, but I’m a private dick (that's what she said) on the side, and I’ve found the reason for Moyer’s mysterious downward plummet and it has nothing to due with the fact that he's 46 years old or is missing his spots with his 82 mph "fastball". The answer my friends is Burrell Priapism. For those of you not in the know, that’s Corey’s WSBGM’s Phantasy team’s name. Burrell Priapism employed Jamie Moyer on the roster up until his latest debacle to which he was promptly waived thereafter. That’s good news, because now Grand Pappy is free from the shackles that bind him, and he can return to his 2008 form and be picked up by some other fantasy team manager. Just watch, 6 innings, 2 runs, and more importantly 1 win tonight for Moyer against the Reds.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Pete Rose ConnectionCincy - Rose was signed by the Reds, made his debut with the Reds, had the majority of his hits with the Reds and later managed the Reds. He also bet on the Reds while he was the manager, which has not turned out well for him.Philly - Rose signed with the Phillies in 1979 and helped the team win the 1980 World Series.Advantage - Philly, but it has nothing to do with the gambling. That Jockey underwear ad was taken while he was playing with the Reds. Horrible. Definite advantage to the Phils for not having that black mark on their franchise history.

Football FelonsCincy - DUI, burglary, assault, drug possession, providing alcohol to minors. The Bengals, led by receiver Chris Henry, have set the bar for NFL team arrests.Philly - Mike Patterson and Correll Buckhalter got pinched for weed, but the biggest felons associated with the Eagles are Andy Reid's kids, who have drug, gun and DUI charges.Advantage - Push. Nobody wins with drugs. They're great. I recommend them. But nobody wins.

Baseball FirstsCincy - The Reds were the first professional baseball team and the first team to host a night game.Philly - The Phillies were the first professional team to lose 10,000 games.Advantage - Cincy.

City FirstsCincy - They were the first city to establish a municipal fire department and have the first fireman's pole.Philly - They were the first city to take a fireman's pole and have naked women dance around it for money.Advantage - Philly. The roof, the roof, the roof is one fire. We don't need not water...

Dancing With The StarsCincy - Drew Lachey (98 Degrees) and Jerry Springer, both Cincinnati natives, appeared on the terrible popular show.Philly - Season 6 contestant Adam Carolla was born in Philadelphia.Advantage - Cincy. The Man Show was cool (especially the Man Show Boy), but it can't beat this.

Unfortunate NeighborsCincy - Just across the Ohio River south of Cincinnati is the lovely state of Kentucky.Philly - Look east. There's Camden.Advantage - Philly. That's right, for the second time during the TotT series, I'm picking New Jersey over another place. [Jersey won a previous contest over Tijuana.] The danger I feel when I'm in Camden pales in comparison to the uneasiness I would feel if I ran into this kid. [Yes, I know Deliverance was supposedly in Georgia, but that banjo strumming inbred albino screams Appalachian Kentucky...]

The numbers never lie. Philly takes another one, 3-2-1. The Reds have no chance in this series.

Monday, May 18, 2009

A dose of Washington Nationals pitching is exactly what the doctor ordered to cure the anemic Phillies offense. Prior to this weekend’s 4 game sweep, the Phillies had scored 29 runs and were 48-253 (.190 avg) over the past 8 games. However, this weekend they unloaded for 33 runs and went 49-151 (.325 avg). Are they as bad as the .190 batting average with 3.6 runs per game? No. Are they as good as the .325 batting average with 8.3 runs per game? No. They’re more like the .262 batting average with 5.8 runs per game team through 36 games that’s currently ranked 6th in the majors. That’s a damn good offense that will win you many games if you have adequate pitching, but that’s an entirely different dilemma story.

Bobby Scales:Philadelphia likes heartwarming stories of 30+ year old rookies (see Chris Coste), well here's another one. Scales got the call-up to Chicago out of necessity and is now making people take notice. Through 7 games- 8-21 (.381), 7 r, 5 rbi, 4 xbh, 1.149 OPS. Looks a helluva lot better than Bruntlett and Cairo, too bad he wasn't still in our farm system.

Andrew Carpenter:5 runs in 4.1 innings is not good, in fact it's bad. However, it was "good" enough to collect his first big league win, thanks to a rain shortened contest in the nightcap of the double header yesterday.

Chan Ho Park:Rotation spots seems to be safe for now with back-to-back quality outings (2 r in 12 ip). He attempts to lock up the 4 game sweep of the Gnats today with rookie Jordan Zimmermann opposing him on the mound.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Goodbye Miguel Cairo; Hello Andrew Carpenter. Due to "Lights On" Lidge's meltdown last night, JA Happ was forced into action in extra innings and will not be able to make the start in the double header today. Therefore, the worthless futility infielder Cairo was sent down shit creek without a paddle, while Carpenter was called up for the start. Carpenter's 2009 #'s- 6 gs, 34.1 ip, 1-0 record, and a 4.72 era. I imagine following his appearance, good or bad, Andrew be sent back down to Triple A with either Mike Cervenak (.324 avg, .824 OPS, 23 rbi) or John Mayberry (.277 avg, .922 OPS, 8 hr, 25 rbi) being called up for bench help.

Friday, May 15, 2009

When am I allowed to say Brad Lidge sucks? Because Brad Lidge sucks...oops. The 2009 version of Brad Lidge is horrible. I wouldn't trust him with a 5 run lead right now let alone a save situation. He's allowed a run in 5 straight games and has an era of 8.59 while allowing nearly 2 runners on base per inning (1.98 WHIP). He's lost all control of his fastball, which allows batters to zone in on his slider; meaning he's entirely too hittable right now to be a closer. I suggest a 15-day DL stint to give him the physical and mental break he obviously needs.

We have recently covered Jamie Moyer and Jimmy Rollins level of sucking, but a point that can not be made loud/clearly enough is the fact that our bench is handicapping us in late game situations. Matt Stairs is the only one who can hit. Dobbs will probably turn it around, because he's had success in the past. Eric Bruntlett and Miguel Cairo aren't only redundant of each other, but you'd be hard pressed to find a shittier combo in the majors right now; they're a combined 5-39 (.128 avg). If I were Charlie Manuel, I'd constantly in Rube's ear chirping to get me some f'n pinch hitters that might actually strike gold and get a hit.

Is suck too strong of a word? Perhaps if you're a brown-noser like Chris Wheeler or dislike unsugarcoated statements, but I think it's right on the mark for the way this team has played for the majority of this season. Still plenty of time to start playing smart solid fundamental baseball, but that doesn't mean I'll just let it pass without a good old fashioned badmouthing.

After yesterday's loss, Phils now back at .500 again with a lackluster record of 16-16. For as much hype as the Brick Cit House gets for being a "hitters park" the Phils apparently didn't get that memo because they're batting in the low .240's at home with a fan-unfriendly record of 8-12. On to the Nation's capital tonight to begin a 4 game set against the Washington Nationals. Despite previous Tale of the Tape I predict a split at best.